Unexpected
by LegitElizabethWWEFan
Summary: Life is full of twists and turns; this is a fact. It's not the twists and turns that matter, but rather, how you handle them that matters the most. Frederick is going to learn that, thanks to Ellie. Frederick/Female MU, please review!


**Hey there, guys! So, this oneshot was inspired by an "imagine" I saw on Tumblr ( _imaginefeawakening_ ). The prompt (which wasn't sent in by me, but by a friend I RP with on Tumblr) was one of the male Shepherds reacting to female MU telling them that they're pregnant. The little twist is that they aren't actually married. It was really well done, but I noticed that Frederick wasn't used (not that I'm complaining, trust me). So I decided to write it out as a oneshot. Of course, this is far longer than the post because it's a fanfic. But whatever.**

 **My female MU looks almost identical to the default female MU, save for one thing: her hair colour is #09. That's what I made her look like in my first playthrough, so I'm going to stick with it.**

 **Also, I decided to try out a first person perspective, and some adjustments to my typical writing style. Please let me know your thoughts on it!**

 **I own nothing related to _Fire Emblem_.**

 **Anyways, please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

The second Plegian war was finally over. Mad King Gangrel had been killed, and the Plegian forces were surrendering. My plan to end this violent, horrible war had worked. The Shepherds and I were beyond glad that we had drawn this war to a close.

After bidding goodbye to the Feroxi troops, the Shepherds and I began to head home. I chose to walk behind everyone under the pretence of keeping an eye on things. But in reality, I was simply struggling with an inner dilemma.

I could hear Frederick chastise Vaike about something he said to Chrom. Just hearing his voice made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. While I wouldn't have normally minded, I did today. It reminded me of the secret I was keeping from him.

Gods, if only I hadn't been so damn careless…

* * *

" _Ellie?"_

" _Come in."_

 _Frederick entered my tent to the sight of me drawing up tomorrow's battle plan. It was near completion, with only a few extra things needing to be addressed._

" _Is something wrong?" I asked, not bothering to look up from my map._

" _No," Frederick admitted. "I just came by to see if you needed any help."_

" _That's sweet of you, but I'm good, thanks," I replied. "Aren't you on night patrol, anyways?"_

" _Not tonight. Cordelia and Sumia are on patrol for a change," Frederick said. "I asked them to, just for tonight."_

 _I looked up from my map with a surprised look on my face. "Wow. I never expected you to do such a thing. What brought that on?"_

 _Frederick chuckled softly. "If I may be perfectly honest, I wanted to spend more time with you."_

 _My cheeks felt hot in an instant. I focused back on my map to conceal my newfound embarrassment._

" _Have I made you blushed?" Frederick teased._

" _Nope," I lied, "I just really need to get this done."_

" _The battle plan looks great, Ellie. I don't know why you insist on working on it further."_

" _And I don't know why you insist on distracting me from said battle plan. Have you been taking lessons from Virion on how to speak to women? If so, knock it off."_

 _Frederick's smile faded. "Gods, you have a tongue sharper than Maribelle's."_

 _I grinned at the compliment. "I know. And I like my sharp tongue."_

" _Ellie, can you please listen to what I have to say? It's rather important, to be perfectly honest."_

 _I set my things down in a dramatic fashion, pretending to be completely annoyed. "And what might that be?"_

 _The answer I got was a sudden kiss that almost threw me off balance. But Frederick caught me before I fell to the ground. His arms wrapped around my waist tight, and I reciprocated by holding his face. Once we finally broke apart, I gave him the most bewildered expression of my life._

" _What the hell was that for?!" I exclaimed just long enough for him to hear._

" _Look, I… I'm in love with you, Ellie. I really am. I've loved you for a long time now, but I've only since realized it. But I mean it, milady. I love you with every fibre of my being."_

 _I could feel my bewildered expression fade into one of happiness and shock. I found myself resting one hand on Frederick's cheek. I couldn't help it; I just wanted to touch his warm, fair skin._

" _I… I love you too," I replied. I felt nervous, which was stupid because what was I nervous over? It was clear that we're in love with one another and happy about it. So why did I suddenly feel so anxious?_

 _I was so busy thinking all that, I had missed Frederick picking me up. My legs instinctively wrapped around his waist to keep me secure. That must've snapped me back to reality because the next thing I knew, I was pinned to my bed._

" _What are you doing?" I asked._

" _Showing you how much I love you," Frederick answered nonchalantly._

 _My eyes widened again. "What?! Did you only intend to bed me? How could you-"_

 _Frederick interrupted me with a kiss. When the kiss ended, he rested his forehead on mine._

" _I truly love you," he said. "If I only wanted to bed you, I'd have done this sooner. I love you, Ellie. You have my word."_

 _Even in the dark, I could see how sincere he was. Both his voice and his facial expression conveyed it. I decided to let my guard down._

" _Prove it," I said in a daring manner._

 _Frederick's grin turned cocky. "I intend to do so, milady."_

* * *

I forced myself to stop thinking back to that night. It had happened a little over two months ago. I hadn't slept with him since then, but we were still a couple. We shared the same bed, spent a lot of time together, you name it. We just weren't married yet.

 _And once you tell him you're pregnant, that certainly won't happen_ , I thought.

I bundled my cloak closer to my body. I wasn't showing yet, but I was so scared of someone finding out, I acted like I was. If any of the Shepherds knew of my secret, Frederick would find out, too. And if he found out about this…

I found myself shuddering at the thought of that. I couldn't tell Frederick this. No, I would have to lie and not reveal my pregnancy for as long as I could. I knew that lying was an awful thing to do, but I didn't know how else to cover up the truth.

 _Let's hope Frederick doesn't uncover the truth_ , I thought.

* * *

It had been a month since the war ended. Most of the Shepherds and I were back in Ylisse, getting back to normalcy. Some of the Shepherds had taken a detour to Regna Ferox to live there instead. But mostly, everyone had come back to Ylisse. Couples were getting married left and right, which was exciting.

Meanwhile, I continued to keep my pregnancy a secret. But it was getting harder to do so. I officially had a baby bump now. It was small, but it was still there. I was running out of time to hide this any longer. I knew I needed to let it out before I was ready, but I was terrified of the backlash I'd received. Would Chrom hire a new tactician to replace me? Would the rest of the Shepherds turn their backs on me?

Of course there was still my biggest fear:

How would Frederick take the news?

I plopped onto my bed and groaned. Since the war's end, I've been living at Chrom's palace. I had tried to convince Chrom to let me live in my own place, but he insisted that I was of no bother. I accepted the offer against my better judgement. After all, living here meant having to live with Frederick. I groaned again upon thinking that last part.

There was a sudden knock at the door to my room. I got up and dashed over to answer it. When I saw who was there, I opened the door just enough to show my head.

"Frederick? What is it?" I asked apprehensively.

"I came to see you," he replied. "May I please come in?"

"Of course!" I said, trying to come off as cheerful.

As he came in, I adjusted my cloak so that my swollen abdomen was covered up. I resumed sitting on my bed; this time, with covers up to my waist. Frederick immediately became concerned.

"Are you alright, milady?" he asked right off the bat.

"I'm fine," I insisted. "I'm just cold, that's all. I'm not sick, if that's what you're thinking."

Frederick didn't look sure. But when he saw that I wasn't going to say otherwise, he relaxed. He sat on the bed and grinned.

"How are you?"

"Good, thank you," I lied. "And you?"

"Better, now that I'm here," Frederick said. "I've wanted to talk to you for a while now."

I could feel my whole body stiffen in an instant. "About what?"

"Us."

 _Oh Gods, no_ , I thought as my eyes darted away. I wanted to run out of the room and avoid this. I didn't know what was going to come, and I didn't care. I just wanted to get out of this situation _now_.

"Ellie? Is something the matter?"

I regained my focus and looked back to Frederick. Once again, he looked concerned.

"I'm fine," I insisted hastily. "I just zoned out, that's all. What were you saying?"

"Nothing, actually," Frederick replied. "I just sat here as you stared into your lap. Are you sure you're feeling well?"

 _You have to tell him the truth. He deserves it. This is his child, too_.

"Ellie?"

"I'm pregnant," I blurted out.

Frederick went from concerned to shock in a nanosecond. I bit my lip as he sat back in bed with his jaw slightly open.

"Here," I said as I slowly climbed out of bed. I stood beside it and took off my cloak. When I smoothed the fabric of my shirt, my baby bump was visible. I made sure to show it to Frederick as my proof of my revelation.

"And yes, it's yours," I added. "You know… back when we… made love all those months ago."

I suddenly felt the urge to cry. Frederick's silence since my revelation had me convinced that he wouldn't react well. Would he give me a look of disgust? Tell me that he wanted nothing to do with me? Strike me? Convince Chrom to kick me out of the Shepherds? The possibilities were endless. A sob finally escaped me, forcing me to sit on the ground.

As I continued to cry, I was unaware that Frederick had walked over to sit beside me. It wasn't until I felt his hand on my thigh that I realized where he was sitting now. That made me feel worse.

"Look at me."

I couldn't. I couldn't bring myself to lock eyes with the man. He was the love of my life, and the father of my child. So how could I bring myself to look at him?

"Please look at me, Ellie." Frederick was on the verge of begging at this point.

When I reluctantly looked into his eyes, I was met with a tender kiss. This kiss wasn't fuelled by passion, but rather by comfort. His hands held my tear-stained cheeks, while my fingers threaded through his hair. When we finally broke apart, I rested my head on his armour-covered shoulder. It wasn't comfy, but I didn't care. I just needed him by my side at that moment.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Frederick asked.

I let out an exhausted laugh at the golden question. "Because I was afraid you'd reject me. I thought you'd want nothing to do with me because this wasn't planned. We're also not married, so I thought you'd be ashamed to be with me."

Frederick scoffed. "I could never do such a thing, Ellie. I love you dearly. And to be honest…I can't imagine life without you. I cannot bear to leave your side. If I was to become a father, I would hope that you'd be my child's mother."

Sweet relief filled me from head to toe. I breathed a sigh of relief as I let Frederick envelope me into his arms. I giggled when one hand fell to my stomach. He caressed it carefully, as if my baby bump would suddenly disappear.

"Shh…" he cooed softly. "I'm right here…for both of you."

"I'm so happy to hear you say that," I said.

As I dried my eyes, Frederick stood me up. But when I stood, he got down on one knee. He pulled out a small box he'd been hiding and opened it.

"I love you so much," he declared. "I actually came in here to propose to you. That was my intent the moment I came in. I want you to be my wife, if you'll have me. Ellie, my love… will you marry me?"

"Yes! Oh Gods yes!" I exclaimed happily.

Frederick looked even more relieved as I. He slipped the engagement ring on the appropriate finger. I couldn't help but tackle him with a hug. The chuckle he let out in response was music to my ears.

"Gods, I love you so much," I said as I stood again.

"I love you too," Frederick replied. He took my hand in his. "My heart is yours, milady. I vow to defend you as knight and husband until death should part us."

He sealed his words with a kiss on my hand, making me smile wider. I knew that no matter what was to come, we would be able to face it together.

* * *

 **There ya go! I hope you all enjoyed it. :)**

 **Please review, and don't forget to check out my other fanfics! :D**

 _\- Elizabeth_


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